Close To You
by Artemis Chick
Summary: Hikari Sentai Maskman: Takeru reveals his heart to Haruka in a way she never expected from him.


A/N: Here is my second fanfic for "Hikari Sentai Maskman." I feel like writing it because I think the Takeru/Haruka pairing was better. I just wanna write it! And I hope this turns out okay.

**DISCLAIMER**: Not mine. Just borrowing them for this story.

**SUMMARY**: Takeru reveals his heart to Haruka in a way she never expected from him.

**CLOSE TO YOU**

After training, the rest of the Maskman Squad went on their own way, save for Haruka and Takeru. Haruka was about to go on her own, when Takeru caught up with her.

"Oh it's you," Haruka stated as she saw Takeru. He smiled at her as they walked together.

"Going home?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, sounding bored. "What about you?"

"Same thing." He paused for a while and said, "Hey, mind if we go together? I'll give you a ride," he offered.

Haruka looked taken aback at what he said. It wasn't like him to do that. He never offered them a ride in his hotshot racecar. So why is he asking her now? She felt hesitant at first, but then considered that she won't lose anything if she said "yes" to him.

"Erm… Sure, why not?" she answered, nodding her head. At the back of her mind, she was thinking, _what has gotten into him? _

Takeru faced her with a wide smile painted on his face. "Let's go!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He suddenly took her hand and dragged her towards the place where he parked his car. Haruka had to keep up with him as he ran. "Why in a hurry?" she asked.

As they reached the car, he turned to her and said, "You'll see. I'll bring you to a place you'll like." He sounded excited at the thought of it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Moments later, they drove down a highway leading outwards the city. The scenery changed from buildings to wide grasslands with tall blades of grass and a row of trees in the distance. Haruka was seated in the passenger seat beside Takeru. She looked outside the window. They were already driving for what seemed like thirty minutes or more. She can't help but wonder where he planned to take her.

"We're almost there," he spoke up. The car turned right to an intersection sloping upwards. He drove carefully, because the road was rocky and uneven, thus making his driving uneasy. Haruka found out that they were driving up a hill. As they reached the top, Takeru parked his car in the middle. The view in front of the car windshield was amazing, as the hill was overlooking the entire city of Tokyo. "Wow," Haruka gushed breathlessly. The city skyline was made more beautiful by the setting sun, painting the sky a shade of orange and pink. The sunset made her admire the beauty of nature. "How did you know this place?" she asked Takeru, turning to him.

"I told you, you'll love it here," he said smilingly. "I've been going here a lot since I was a kid. I bike here after classes. It's my place of solace. I never bought anyone here."

_If so, why did you bought me with you?_ Haruka was tempted to ask that question, but she decided to steer away from it. She wondered if Takeru ever went to this hill with Ial, his former girlfriend, the princess of the Tube World. _I don't think I should be asking him that. _Haruka decided to think of nothing else but to enjoy being in this place. She opened the door and hopped out of the car, while Takeru did the same. He walked towards the spot where she stood and sat on the hood of his car.

"I love it here!" Haruka exclaimed. She could feel the wind blowing against her face, and the atmosphere was starting to get cooler. It sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. "Thanks for bringing me here," she told Takeru. He could only smile at her. "Here." He moved side wards to make a space for her. Haruka sat on top of the car right next to him.

An hour or so passed without them speaking to each other. They silently watched the sunset as it made way for the break of dusk. The sky darkened, and a few stars showed up. Haruka loved this rare moment, and she wished that time would stand still so she could enjoy it more. Or was she really enjoying it because she was with Takeru?

She loved the feeling of being next to him, of being alone with him. It was the first time she went out with a guy, and for her, this felt like some sort of a date. But she didn't want to think of this as such. Takeru was her friend, so this won't make of a difference, right? But now, she realized that she really felt more than that for him. The feelings she denied was now coming into light. All this time, she had been feeling this way for him. It scared her. What if he doesn't like her? She didn't want to be crying because of a guy, and she knew that failure was part of the package. The thought of it deflated her ego. It was the reason why she avoided that feeling. _Maybe I shouldn't expect too much from him, _she thought. Haruka turned to look at him. Takeru was smiling to himself, his eyes casted towards the night sky. She wondered what he was thinking. She didn't want to think like this anymore, and decided to break her silence.

"How have you been lately?" she asked.

Takeru shifted his sights to her. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Haruka was at a loss for words. "I mean… you know… about…"

"Oh, you mean, about Ial?" Haruka felt stupid for even trying to start a conversation with him. She decided to just go with the flow of words. "Yeah," she muttered. "Missing her lately?"

"A little," he replied. "But it doesn't feel so bad anymore, unlike before. I've come to accept it, even though I still love her. I hope she's happy now." He smiled at the thought of it. "What about you?" he asked her. "Seeing any guy?"

Haruka was floored with this question. "Me? As if I'm dating somebody," she scoffed, laughing. "You know my father won't allow that."

"I was just asking," he said.

"I don't mind. I guess I'm not really date material. Guys are intimidated at the sight of me, just because I have short hair and a ninja."

"How can you say that? I don't think it's true." Takeru frowned at her.

"It is," she insisted, looking sharply at him. "Guys would go for girls who look like Momoko, you know, the typical pretty girl with long hair. You should have seen Akira go nuts over her. Not that I have anything against her. I just feel envious sometimes… I wish I could look like her."

"Haruka, I don't think you looked that bad," Takeru said, trying to convince her. "You don't have to look like other girls to feel better about yourself."

"Whatever you say, it won't change a thing," Haruka stated stubbornly. "I'm still a girl who can pass off as a guy. Even if I grew out my hair, I'm still ugly."

Takeru was annoyed with her attitude. "Well, for me, you're pretty! And you have to take my word for it!" he shouted.

Haruka was shocked at what she heard. _I'm pretty? _"Wow, am I hearing this from you?" she asked sarcastically. Takeru couldn't contain himself anymore. He clenched his fists and raised a hand, looking like he wanted to punch her for being so self-depreciating. Haruka stared at him as if trying to challenge him, when Takeru did the unthinkable. He reached out to hold her face and kissed her aggressively. Haruka was stunned. Her senses weakened, as if her mind turned to jelly. After what seemed like an eternity kissing her, she mustered the courage to pull away from him. Her hand flew towards his face, slapping him.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" she yelled. She placed a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously. Her heart pounded nervously in her chest as she shot a disgusted look at him.

"I won't kiss you if I think you're ugly." He smiled smugly at her, eyes twinkling with satisfaction.

"You're a maniac!" She slapped him again. "That kiss won't fool me." She breathed heavily, fuming mad at what he did.

Takeru rubbed his swollen cheek. "If you slap me again, I'll kiss you for the second time." He winked at her.

Haruka was really irked at this point. She stood up. "That's it! I'll go!" she threatened. She was determined to go home by herself when Takeru tried to stop her. "Hey, you don't want me to be dead with your father, right? Let me bring you home!" he exclaimed.

Thus she had no choice but to stay with him. Haruka turned and went back. She hated herself for not having enough courage to walk away from him. Even if she was angry for doing _that, _a part of her wanted to be closer to him.

She glared at him, saying, "As I said, that kiss won't fool me into thinking that… that you like me." She felt like exploding as she continued, "Even if you kiss me a hundred times, I won't fall for it. I'm willing to bet you also did that to Momoko, right?"

Takeru's expression changed, looking like he was hurt with what she said. He avoided looking at her as he answered to her allegations. "Aside from Ial, you were the only girl I kissed. I won't do that if I didn't like you."

Her mouth dropped at what he said. She stared at him in disbelief. _Is he serious? _

He looked at her, determined to prove his intention. He stood up and walked towards her. As he came face to face with her, he said, "I've been feeling this way for you ever since I could remember. I can tell you're feeling the same way too."

Haruka couldn't believe this. A guy was telling her that he likes her, and Takeru at that! She never expected to hear this from him. "Have I been that obvious?" She felt embarrassed that he knew it all along. She avoided his gaze, yet she could still feel his eyes glued on her, making her want to melt. As she forced herself to look at him, their eyes met. He could now see right through her vulnerability, at her unguarded moment. The wall she created around her being was broken down. She felt as if he undressed her, exposing her nakedness to him.

Takeru took her hand. "Believe me, Haruka," he pleaded.

This was too good to be true. _No, I'm not dreaming. _It was for real, how unbelievable it was. "Do I have a chance with you?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I was waiting for you to give me that chance," he told her smilingly. "Will you?"

A smile formed on her lips. Haruka stood on tiptoe and reached out to kiss him gently. She pulled back and smiled at him. Takeru understood all of it. He embraced her tightly and smiled, savoring the moment he was so close to her, the new girl in his life. Haruka couldn't ask for more. He loves her, after all. At last, she was in love.

-FIN-

**A/N: Gosh, I feel so happy for Haruka. I'm glad that in this story, he feels the same for her. The title was inspired by the song "Close to You", which was popular in the mid-90's. While typing this, I liked the songs that played on the radio, which was fitting for this fic: "I Can Love You Like That", "Realize", and "I Didn't Know I Was Looking For Love."**

**Thanks for reading! RR please!**


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